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GENEVA, Switzerland, April 5, 2006 (Refocus
Weekly)
The World Business Council for Sustainable
Development is forming an alliance to promote the construction of
buildings that are energy self-sufficient.
The initiative is led by United Technologies, the world's largest
supplier of heating and cooling units and on-site power systems, and
Lafarge Group, a leader in building materials. Discussions are
underway with other companies to join the project.
Buildings consume 40% of energy in developed countries, and the
alliance wants to transform the way buildings are designed,
constructed, operated and dismantled. By 2050, it wants new
buildings to consume no net energy from external power supplies and
to produce no net carbon emissions, and to be economically viable to
construct and operate.
“Buildings of tomorrow should be self-sufficient in energy and have
carbon neutral emissions,” says Jan van Dokkum of UTC Power, part of
United Technologies. “This can be done by incorporating renewable
energy sources into a building's design, optimizing energy
efficiency of support systems, and taking advantage of geographic
and culturally-acceptable building practices.”
“This aim is enhanced by using the 'cradle-to-cradle' concept of
producing, using and later re-using building materials,” he adds.
“This vision of energy and carbon neutral designs is a necessary
evolution we need to embrace to achieve sustainability for
buildings.”
Constructing buildings which use no net energy from electricity
grids will require a combination of onsite power generation and
ultra-efficient building materials and equipment, the group
explains. The project will comprise three phases to form a roadmap
that will transform the building industry.
A first report will document existing green building successes and
failures; a second will identify the range of present and future
opportunities; and a third will present an industry strategy for
realizing opportunities by 2050, with a special emphasis on China,
India, Brazil, the United States and the European Union. Each report
will take one year to complete and involve discussions with building
contractors and suppliers, sustainability experts, government
representatives, regulators, utility officials and others.
“Being smarter and more efficient about how we use energy in
buildings will help us conserve energy, reduce GHG emissions and
address climate change,” says Björn Stigson of WBCSD. “We believe
this initiative can provide extremely cost-effective solutions; it
will also set the course for self-sufficient and
environmentally-sound buildings in which future generations will
live, work and be entertained.”
United Technologies of Connecticut had US$43 billion in revenues
last year and employs 220,000 people around the world. Lafarge of
Paris had sales of Euro 16 billion and employs 80,000 people in 75
countries. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development,
based in Geneva, works with 180 international companies to promote
sustainable development through economic growth, ecological balance
and social progress.
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